Page 11 of Fated to the Dragon King (Alpha Dragons’ Fated #4)
He extended his hand first to me, then Willow. “I’m Dr. Jameson. The bullet came within a hair of her aorta. Had it struck, she’d have died before you got her here. We’ve repaired much of the damage, gave her a blood transfusion. With luck, she’ll make a full recovery.”
I gasped, unable to hold my breath any longer. As though I’d been underwater for long minutes, I sucked in a sharp breath. The tension within me eased considerably. “That’s great, thank you, Doctor, thank you. I – we’ve – been so scared she’d not make it.”
“Hayley’s tough, strong. A fighter. She’s in recovery, but still sedated.”
“Can I see her?”
He nodded briskly. “But only for a few minutes. She needs to rest.”
I swiftly kissed Willow’s cheek, then followed Jameson from the waiting room to the elevators. There, he shook my hand again.
“Up to the third floor,” he instructed. “To the ICU. Check in at the nurse’s station, please.”
“Thank you.”
I quickly found the ICU, and was directed to a small room down the corridor. I heard the beep of a monitor and the hiss of a breathing machine before I pulled the curtain aside. I paced in quietly, fearing to wake Hayley if she still slept.
With her skin pale, waxy, her formerly luxurious silvery hair dull and lifeless on the pillow, I feared the worst. That she would indeed die. That I would lose her.
Her faint breath fogged the oxygen tube in her nostrils, and her chest rose and fell steadily under the hospital johnny. The heart monitor beeped in time to her pulse, informing me her heart still worked. Tubes sprouted from needles in both of her arms.
As I paced silently closer, Hayley’s eyes opened.
Like her hair, her green eyes were dull with sedation. Still, her lips quirked upward in a tiny smile. “Hey.”
Smiling, I bent to kiss her brow. “Hey back.”
“You came.”
“I never left.”
Hayley’s eyelids drooped shut, yet I knew she hadn’t fallen back to sleep. I took her limp hand in mine, feeling her grip tighten ever so weakly. I took that as a good sign.
“I can’t stay long,” I murmured. “But I’ll be back.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
***
My eyes gritty from the lack of sleep, I walked to the door of Roxanne’s McMansion. As I rang the bell, and listening to it echo through the house, I wished I hadn’t come. No doubt, Roxanne would once again attack me with fingernails like daggers, and I’d once again be forced to defend myself.
She opened the door.
Roxanne appeared to have aged twenty years since the previous day.
Her attractive face was haggard, her hair tangled, and at eight o’clock in the morning she carried a glass of scotch.
She eyed me up and down, then turned to walk away.
As she left the door open, I accepted her mute invitation to enter.
“Hayley’s in the hospital,” I said, crossing the threshold. “She nearly died.”
Roxanne half turned, sipping her scotch while staring at a painting hanging on the wall of her foyer. “Do you expect me to beat my breast and howl my grief? To cover my head in ashes and wear sack cloth?”
“She’ll recover.” I paced closer to Roxanne. “I’d hoped you’d find some humanity for your sister. Some compassion. I know it’s too much to ask that you find some affection, even love, for her.”
Roxanne glanced at me before turning away again. “What do you want from me?”
“Me? I want nothing from you. It’s Hayley who might need her sister at her side.”
“Hayley is an idiot.”
“Why are you always ragging on her?” I demanded, stepping even closer. “What has she ever done to you that you treat her like she’s trash?”
“She was born.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re really something. While I don’t quite know what you are, you’re something.”
“You don’t know jack shit, mister.”
“You don’t care that Hayley is in the intensive care unit?”
Oddly, Roxanne said nothing. She drank from her glass while continuing to look at the painting. I glanced at it, wondering what was so fascinating about it. I shrugged, then turned toward her front door.
“I’ve done my duty,” I commented. “I informed you.”
At the entrance, I paused and looked back. “If ever you have a grave need of Hayley, I hope she has more compassion for you than you show toward her.”
I left Roxanne staring at the painting and returned to my truck.
***
After several hours of sleep and a shower, I drove back to the hospital. On the way, I checked in with Willow and found her at the office.
“Did you get some sleep?” I asked.
“What for? I have too much to do to spend it sleeping.”
“You’re trying to make me feel guilty, aren’t you?”
“Is it working?”
“Yeah. I’ll come in after I see Hayley.”
“I called the ward,” Willow said. “She’s much stronger, and able to talk. I was able to speak to her briefly. I’ll go see her later, after work.”
“She’ll love to see you.”
“I’m bringing her a present.”
“What is it?”
“Not your business. Give her a kiss, then get your ass back here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The hospital was far busier than in the wee hours of the morning. I rode the elevator up to the third floor with a couple of nurses and a few maintenance people. The intercom spoke of needing Dr. Smith, stat, and I overheard the nurses chatting about the latest episode of an afternoon soap opera.
Hayley still appeared far too pale and tired when I strode into her small room. This time, however, I received no welcoming smile from her. I kissed her anyway, then pulled a visitor’s chair close to her bed.
“You look a little better,” I commented, taking her hand.
“I feel like shit,” she whispered, her jade eyes on my face. “Tell me what happened.”
I grimaced. “I’m sure it was Damon who shot you. He intended to kill me.”
“I got that from Willow.”
Smiling, though confused at her comment, I stroked her hair from her brow. “I’m so sorry you’re involved in this family quarrel.”
Hayley closed her eyes, her mouth tightening slightly. “Tell me what happened.”
“I don’t get you. Damon and Fiona hoped to shoot me, but missed. The bullet was meant for me.”
“You changed, Alaric.”
She opened her eyes, a hint of anger, of fear, gleaming with their depths. “What are you? I saw – something.”
“Oh.”
Looking away, I caressed her hand, grimacing. I owed her the truth. I once thought she’d never find out about my other half, of what Willow and I, as well as our people, are. Nor did I think she was conscious enough last night to remember seeing me after I shifted.
“Tell me.”
“I – I’m not human, Hayley,” I said slowly. “ We aren’t human.”
I glanced back in time to see Hayley’s eyes widen in terror. “Monsters,” she whispered.
“No.” I chuckled. “We’re dragons.”